On Perfect Combination Of Reality And Ideal In The Pigman

Published in1968, The Pigman is a classic children’s novel written by the famousAmerican writer Paul Zindel.The novel has been attracting the attention of many scholars since its publication. In thepast years, this book has been analyzed from different perspectives, such as its literary genreor its specific narrative strategies. However, among these researches, there is no sufficientand systematic study from the perspective of the combination of the new realistic features andromantic colors in view of young-adult literature. Therefore, this thesis attempts to furtherexplore these features in the book, and analyze the functions of the perfect combination onthe growth of young-adults through a careful study and provides a systematic elaboration soas to bring a new perspective to the interpretation of this novel.The thesis is divided into five parts.Introduction is a brief introduction to the author and the novel The Pigman, itsinfluences and a general summary of the current research at home and abroad.The main body consists of three chapters.Chapter One discusses reflection of reality in The Pigman. This chapter deals with newrealism and its features in American young-adult literature and analyzes the reflection of thefeatures in the book from two aspects—themes and characters. In the book, Zindel exposesimperfection in real life and creates some typical imperfect heroes to present a multi-facetedlife.Chapter Two explores embodiment of idealism in The Pigman. This chapter discussesthe romantic colors in young-adult literature, including idealism. And then it deals with theidealism in themes and characters. In each section, there is a detailed analysis of the concreteembodiment. Even though Zindel discloses some real problems young adults have to face, thestrong desire to pursue truth, goodness and beauty and idealistic heroes shining with romanticcolors still bring teenagers enduring hopes.Chapter Three studies functions of the combination. This chapter probes into thefunctions of the combination on the growth of young-adults, including psychological andeducational functions. According to the features of adolescence psychology, the bookresonates among adolescents, provides them ways to release their strong feelings, gets themimproved and sublimated in the mental world; written in a unique writing manner, combiningthe new realistic features with romantic colors in young adult literature, the novel enablesadolescents to face realities bravely and directly while still being full of hopes.Conclusion summarizes the new realistic features and romantic colors in The Pigman, and the functions of the combination of reality and ideal is summarized. And the significanceof interpreting this novel from this angle is emphasized.